Project Universe
by squish13
Summary: Steven follows Purple Diamond into something he should never have witnessed. -Now my over-1k-word archive for Purple Diamond, Steven, and any other OC Diamonds I may come up with- (Mentions/appearances of canon diamonds)
1. The Great Diamond Council

**A/N:**

 **Hey! It's been a while, eh? I've been busy basking in my own self loathing. Well... that's something you didn't need to know that I didn't just delete. Yeah... Anywho, more Purple Diamond stuff. I'm happy how much of you like her. Seriously, I love you!**

 **Anywho, enjoy this piece. We're gonna be seeing more than just Purple Diamond here ;)**

* * *

Nothing was explained to Steven as he was sent back to the ship with his friends. Purple Diamond wanted them out and the only explanation her pearl gave was that she would be away from the colony for an undetermined amount of time. Stevem sort of understood why she had them sent away. She didn't want them messing around in her control room without her supervision. But sometimes Steven got the feeling that she didn't really _care_ about him as a person.

Now Steven wasn't one to go back on what he was told, breaking rules and such. Pearl would have a fit if he did. But as they headed back to the roaming eye, he slipped off on his own. They boy still recalled his first trip through this labyrinth and how upset he had been at the time. He knew things better this time around though, and it wasn't as complicated as he had first thought.

He turned the corner and saw a figure, who could be no one other than Purple Diamond, step onto a large warp pad. He wondered briefly about why this warp pad was so isolated, but this was no time for questions. The boy had to enter the warp before it took the diamond away completely.

"Universe?!" Purple exclaimed as they were carried off by the stream.

"Um… Hey, Purple." Steven started, reaching a hand to scratch the back of his neck. "So where we going?"

The diamond's eyes narrowed as she let out a short growl. "Somewhere you shouldn't be." She explained.

As they were let out from the warp, Steven's jaw dropped at the sight before him. "Woah." The structure was ginormous. He'd never seen anything quite like it. As the boy looked around, he noticed two tiers of murals on the dome above them. The lower one depicted diamonds of many colors, purple included; and above, the three diamonds of white, blue, and yellow.

"Go back, Little Universe."

"But we just got here!"

"Now."

Steven crossed his arms. He didn't want to go back just yet. The way he looked at the diamond told her his every intention.

Purple Diamond sighed. She didn't have time for this right now. With a wave of her hand, darkness consumed the boy's very form. "Stay in the shadows and do not make a sound."

Steven started giggling instead. He felt like a ninja.

"Not a sound." She repeated, walking toward a set of large doors. " _They already think I'm crazy enough._ "

Steven followed the diamond, sticking to her advice and remaining within her shadow. No one would see him coming until it was too late! He tried his hardest to keep all his silly thoughts on this within his own head, and there were many.

Purple headed through the doors, leading through an empty passage, large enough for any diamond to comfortably pass through. Steven followed close by, his attention drifting until she came to a stop in front of a red diamond? Yeah, that's exactly what this other diamond seemed to be.

"Look who's arriving late." She spoke. "Where have you been?"

Purple looked back to where Steven was hiding, but only briefly. "Places."

The other diamond hummed. It was like she expected an answer like that from her colleague. "Well as long as you aren't so vague in front of the Authority. After all, not every diamond is as forgiving as yours truly." She said, placing a hand over the gem on her chest and glancing down towards… no, she couldn't see him.

Purple Diamond grunted, but noticing where the other's gaze was focused, she coughed and hurried through the last set of doors.

The chamber within held every diamond, seated around a different symbol in the middle of the room which Steven hadn't seen before. A singular diamond, covered in a pattern of the visible spectrum.

"Purple Diamond," White Diamond spoke as she entered the room. "What a pleasure it is to see you join us today."

Purple let out a small grunt as she headed towards her appointed seat, nudging Steven into the shadows under her desk.

"We've been receiving reports of your new project." Yellow Diamond started. "Tell us the progress of this _Project Universe_."

Steven's eyes widened as he waited under cover, seeing Purple's own hands clench against her knees. She knew he was listening, and she knew he had found her out. The project she'd named after him.

Purple refused to lose her nerve in front of the Authority, though most of them could already see just how uncomfortable she was at that moment. "Project Universe is proceeding mostly as planned."

"Mostly?" Piped Red, earning concerning mumbles from the other diamonds.

"You've all read the reports." Purple broke in, trying to gain back control. "The creature has given more information than I initially expected, however…"

White Diamond folded her hands before her. "However?"

"I fear losing the creature's trust." She paused, hearing more sounds of disapproval from the crowd. They were diamonds, they could get whatever information they wanted with a single command. "I'm treading thin ice, my fellow diamonds. One misstep and everything is in ruins. Need I not remind you how crucial the information of this project is?"

"Duly noted." White Diamond commented. The head diamond then proceeded on with the status reports from the others.

Through all this, Purple would look down toward the hybrid boy hiding in the shadows. How that boy wanted to speak up right then, but he knew as well as she, how this was a talk that needed to be saved for their return.

* * *

The two arrived back at Purple Diamond's control room. Steven hadn't spoken to her since their return from the Diamond Base.

"I like my silence, but not this kind." The diamond finally spoke.

"Why didn't you ever tell me I was just another experiment?!" Steven cried out.

"Now _experiment_ is not exactly the word _I_ would use to describe the situation." Purple shrugged.

"But you've just been using me this whole time!" Tears threatened to spill from the boy's eyes. "What kind of information were you trying to get? Earth, the Crystal Gems? My _mom_?!"

"Not that any of it matters now." Purple sighed.

Steven finished wiping his nose on his arm, looking up at the diamond with blurred vision. "H-huh?"

"Purple Diamond, the greatest disappointment to the Authority since the loss of Pink Diamond herself." She slumped back in her throne, avoiding eye contact with the little hybrid before her. And Steven saw something he never expected from the terrifying force before him. Tears.

Steven wiped away the last of his own, and without speaking, hugged one of Purple's boots.

The diamond blinked a few times, looking down at the strange sight. She didn't quite know how to react. She could easily kick the hybrid away, but the gesture lit a warm feeling within her gem. "You realize this is going to take more than a hug to fix, Little Universe."

"I know," Steven said.

"And forget everything you just saw right now."

"Forget what?" He smiled up at her. He still wasn't over the way she had used him, but this was a step. For both of them.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Oh hey, more diamonds. By the way, this won't be Red's last appearance. She has a lot more significance than what I've shown here.**

 **And poor Steven, it always sucks learning that you're a tool in someone else's plan. Well, she's not gonna treat him that way for long. We all know how little Steven works his way into everyone's hearts. How dare he be so loveable. And the fact that he saw her vulnerable side. Ah, Steven never lets anything like that just rest. Hehe.**

 **Anyway, remember to leave a review/favorite. Help an author know how they're being received.**

 **Your writer Squish, wishing you all a wonderful day! :D**


	2. Scrutiny

**A/N:**

 **I wanted to write some more of Red Diamond. Alright? She had such a limited role in the last piece, and she actually has a lot of significance in this AU, and to Purple. Oh you'll see ;D**

 **And as you've noticed, I've converted this fic into an archive for the over 1k word works for my OC Diamonds of this AU. For some reason, people love Purple, and I want them to love my others. Like Red!**

 **Anywhos! Relax, and most importantly ENJOY! :D**

* * *

Red Diamond looked up at the murals which adorned the domed roof of the Diamond Base. After most of the other diamonds left, she remained with Yellow and the other military diamonds.

Purple Diamond had seemed so off during the last council, even by her standards. The mural of her beloved diamond looked down on her, and Red let out a long sigh.

"Pearl."

Red Pearl scurried over to her mistress. "Yes, My Diamond?"

Contrary to what many common gems believed, there were many lesser gems which visited the Diamond headquarters. Most of the time it was the diamonds' pearls who would wait out in the main hall for their owners while important meetings were being held. Too important for discussion through communicator, even the Diamond Lines were not secure enough. Among them, other gems did perform maintenance to keep the base up to their leaders' near-impossible standards.

"Inform the gems of Facet Twelve that I will not be able to attend their training this cycle."

"You won't be overseeing their advanced instruction, My Diamond?"

Red brushed a hand through her short mane and looked down at her matching pearl. "No, Pearl." She figured Purple was probably breaking down again after the recent council. One would wonder how someone so terrifying to her subjects could be so vulnerable on her own, but Red understood. She knew Purple better than any other Diamond. "You Know where I'll be, Pearl. Wait for me back in the Silicate System."

Red Pearl smiled as her diamond looked down at her. "Yes, My Diamond."

\

Purple Diamond was distracting herself with work in her command room. Shutting herself off from the world completely was difficult while her _guests_ were in such close proximity. Steven wasn't so bad, despite how he would use the diamond's lap as a resting place, much to her dismay. It was the rebel peridot and defective amethyst who were the true problem. Those two would _not_ stop arguing about something stupid that she didn't care for, and it was starting to wear on the diamond's nerves.

While her right hand worked away at the varying screens before her, the left twitched uncomfortably, tensing and rapping against the arm of control seat. Under any normal circumstance, a gem who annoyed her _this_ much would be punished severely. Fortunately, or unfortunately, these were not normal circumstances. After Steven had learned of her plans, Purple had been doing whatever she could to earn his trust back. Some of it made her come off as clingy at times though.

A squeaky little snore escaped from the little hybrid napping on her lap. He really was cute like this.

Purple's eyes shifted to the screen which oversaw her pearl and quartz guards outside her private chamber. The gem she saw approach them made her heart sink. _"Oh lignite, not now."_

Quickly and unceremoniously, Purple dumped Steven on the ground, waking the boy from his slumber. She ignored the worried gems rushing to their friend's aid as her seat shifted around to the entrance just in time for her guest's arrival.

As the doors opened, Purple Diamond spoke up. "My shining star, what a pleasure it is to see you this splendorous eve."

Whatever smile Red Diamond was wearing when she entered the chamber quickly fell away when she saw the lesser gems in the control room. "What is this?"

Purple looked back toward Steven, rubbing his head as Peri and Amethyst held onto him. "No hello?"

This was the second time Steven had met Red Diamond. Well, the first time he formally met her, but second time he'd seen her. He supposed she was less intimidating in this light… slightly. She stood there with her arms crossed in front of her, covering the diamond-shaped buttons of the long tailcoat of her form. A cuffed boot tapped the floor in impatience.

Puprle got up from her seat and paced over to Red Diamond, taking hold of the lapels of her coat, which left her gemstone exposed. "Why don't we just ignore them?" She said, picking some stray strands of hair from Red's collar.

Red gently pushed Purple Diamond away. "Normally, you're the first gem to ask for privacy. Explain."

"Um." Purple looked back toward Steven, her mouth opening and closing, but unable to make a sound.

Yet Steven was the one who stepped forward to speak. "Don't be mad at Purple!"

"How dare you not address a Diamond properly!" Truthfully, Red wasn't really mad at her fellow diamond. It was just this whole… _situation_.

"She was just trying to keep an eye on us."

Red Diamond scoffed. This creature dared speak to a superior being in such a way. "What for?"

"P-Project Universe…" Purple stuttered.

Red's eyes glanced between her colleague and the human below. " _This_ is the hybrid?" She remarked incredulously.

Steven backpedaled as Red Diamond approached. Soon she was standing right over him. "Uh, hi." He tried to start out, as friendly as possible. "Steven Universe here."

Red Diamond held one of her bare hands to her chin as she looked the boy over. "This little human really has the gemstone of Rose Quartz?" She picked Steven up by the back collar of his tee, ignoring his squirms of distress and grabbing at the cuff of her sleeve as her eyes focused on the pink gem exposed on his navel. "Well bury me whole and call me Coal."

 _Gack!_

"He does need to breath." Purple interrupted.

Red let Steven fall to the ground.

"How many times am I gonna be dropped today?" He burst out.

Red raised a brow. "Do you remember _any_ of the Rebellion for Earth?"

Steven looked back to his friends briefly, Amethyst sitting with her legs out and Peridot standing as tall and proper as she could with this new diamond's presence. He looked briefly to Purple, trying to hide her lip biting, and back up to Red. "I don't have any of my mom's memories."

"Pity." She said. "You know, I was there during the rebellion."

" _Oh, here we go."_ Purple commented, knowing she was going to be ignored.

"Countless Homeworld-loyal soldiers were shattered and despite those rebels' _meagre_ numbers, they never gave up."

"Red."

"I could have stayed down there one thousand more years if the order to retreat wasn't given by the Great White Diamond herself."

"Wow. You were sure dedicated to the war." Steven commented.

"Yes, well I do command all of Homeworld's Army." She said proudly, lightly placing a hand over her gemstone. "But it was that _Rose Quartz_ on Colony Earth who ever handed me a defeat so large." She added, clenching her fists by her side. Her expression was dark, eyes lost in the sea of memory.

"Red."

Steven looked between the two as they seemed to share a silent conversation. He wondered what was exchanged between the two diamonds, but he didn't want to pry. Well, he did, but he knew how rude it would be to do so at that moment.

Purple Diamond looked down at Steven and his friends as they watched. She motioned her head towards the door, clearly expressing the need for some privacy.

They funneled out.

"You do realize what the others would do if they found out about this." Red started.

"What? That Project Universe involves me keeping the hybrid under critical observation? How dare I!" Purple remarked.

"We've read the reports. I'm talking about how you're keeping unauthorized gems in your _control center_."

"Red, it's not a problem."

"And what do you think will happen to you when Blue Diamond finds out, or stars forbid _White?_!"

"They'll send me to the far reaches of our empire to work on some scrap project for a few centuries, give or take a few decades." Purple mused.

"Purple, I don't want to lose you again." Red said, brushing away the locks which covered the other diamond's right eye.

"You won't. Besides, the hybrid won't be staying much longer." She explained, "They only brought limited supplies and will be returning to Earth soon enough."

"So you're abandoning another one of your experiments?"

"No." Purple stated. "I have a plan. When do I not?"

Red Diamond sighed. "Yes, and how many of them have placed _you_ under scrutiny?"

"Don't worry about it." Purple tried waving the other diamond off.

"But _you_ are." Red observed. "I came here for a reason, Purple."

Purple Diamond flopped back in her seat, "Not for a mental evaluation, I hope."

"Not unless you want one."

Purple chuckled at the remark.

"I came here for you. Whatever you want."

\

"So… how long are they gonna keep us out here?" Amethyst complained as her arms stretched behind her head.

"Never rush a Diamond." Purple Pearl stated.

"But-"

"Never. Rush. A Diamond."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **By the way. Lignite is a really poor quality form of coal. I figured gems might use it as a form of cursing cause I don't like overusing "schist" since I hear that one in every geology joke ever...**

 **So, Red Diamond. I gotta confess something, guys. So you remember me saying that Purple D is based off of me, yeah? I was doing my concept sketches of Red D, and the whole time I kept thinking "I'd hit that." Then kinda facepalming when I remembered her relation to PrD. Alright. That's my little embarrassing story. XD I'm just a lonely college dropout, don't mind me...**

 **And yeah, Purple's gotten in trouble with the Authority before. At this point she's indifferent to it. Red on the other hand... Yeah. And yes, another gem that has a grudge with Steven's mom. That poor boy!**

 **Remember to leave a review/follow/favorite! Help an author know how she's doing! pls**

 **This is your lovely OC making Squish wishing you all a wonderful day!**


End file.
